Beet-gathering machine



J. A. CAYWOOD. BEET GATHERING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED DEC-511918. 1,336,024. ed pr- 6,1920.

-"'-2'SHEETSSHEET I.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY I. A. CAYWOOD.

BEET GATHERING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC-5, 1918.

1,336,024, Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

2 SHEET$-SHEET 2- INVENTOR ames ArZJarZkywmflf WITN ESSES ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT orsion.

JAMES ARTHUR GAYWOOD, OF NEDERLAND, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-FOURTH TO EDWARD N. SEBERN AND ONE-FOUR H TO EDWARD R. MULVIHILL, BOTH OF NED- ERLAND, COLORADO.

' DEBIT-GATHERING MACHINE.

Application filed December 5, 1918.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Janus ARTHUR CAY- wooD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nederland, in the county of Boulder and State of Colorado have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beet-Gathering Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to beetgathering machines, and more particularly to that type of machine known as a beet puller.

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide a machine of the character described of simple construction and operation provided with beet pulling means which may be driven directly from the shaft or supporting axle of the machine. A further object is to provide a beet pulling mechanism in conjunction with a receiving hopper and so related thereto as to discharge the beets which have been pulled into the hopper simultaneously with the pulling operation. A further object is to provide beet pulling members and operating cams therefor so disposed and related to the receiving hopper as to cause the beets to be lifted substantially vertically and moved rearwardly of the machine and discharged into the receiving hopper. Further objects will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings:--

Figure 1 is a side View of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. Qis a front View, part of the mai frame being cut away.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section showing the pulling mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail section of a pulling mechanism.

.Fig. 5 is a detail of one of the pulling members. r

Fig. 6 is a back view of the receiving hop per and the closure therefor.

Fig. 7 is a detail view takenon the line 7 7 of Fig. 3.

The main frame of the machine is of substantially rectangular outline having the side bars 1, back bar 2, and depending standards 3. The side bars rotatably receive axle 4 at each end of which is secured a ground wheel 5. The axle and ground wheels act to support the main frame in such manner as to render the same portable.

The depending standards 3 rotatably support a shaft 6. spur gear 7 is secured Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

Serial No. 265,426.

on shaft 6 at each end thereof and these gears mesh with spur gears 8 secured on axle 4. By this means, when the machine is drawn forward along a beet row, downward and rearward rotation will be imparted to shaft 6.

A pair of annular frames 9 is secured on shaft 6. adjacent each of the standards 3. Each of these frames is provided with a supporting spider 10 comprising a hub and arms radiating therefrom and secured at their outer ends to the frame 9, a set screw 11 being threaded through this hub and serving tosecure the frame on the shaft. By this means, the frames can be adjusted toward and away from each other. A tripping cam 12 is positioned closely adjacent the inner face of each frame 9. This cam is concentric with frame 9 and is of less diameter than this frame, being of approximately 180 in length and having its ends in substantially vertical alinement. The cam 12- comprises an outer arcuate rim which is supported by radiating arms 13 carried by a central hub which is loosely mounted about shaft 6. This hub is further provided with an elongated rearwardly extending arm 14 which is secured at its rearward end by bolt and nut connections indicated generally by 15 to the forward wall 16 of a receiving hopper 17. The securing bolts or arm lff project through a slot 17 which extends longitudinally of the forward wall 16 of hopper 17 so as to permit cam 12 to be adjusted longitudinally of shaft 6 to accommodate adjustment of the annular frames 9. The cams 12 are thus supported by the shaft 6 and are effectually secured against rotary movement while being adjusted longitudinally of this shaft in accordance with adjustments of the annular frames.

Each of the frames 9 is provided, on its inner face, with a plurality of spaced gripping members 18. Each of these members is of angular shape comprising a gripping head 19 and a shank 20 disposed at an obtuse angle thereto. A. securing bolt 91 is inserted through shank 20 at the point of juncture thereof with the head this bolt being ecurecl through the frame 9. In this manner the gripping member 18 is pivotally secured to the inner face of the supporting frame 9. As will be notec more clearly from Figs. 2 and a of the drawings, the gripping members 18 are disposed in pairs on the supporting frames 9 and the gripping heads 19 of these men'ibers are tapered outwar 'lly so as to provide an inwardly converging beet receiving opening. As shaft (3 is ro tated, the gripping members 18 will also be rotated with supporting frames 9, and during their travel from their lowermost to their uppermost position, the shanks t these members will be in engagement w1tn cam 12 so as to hold the grip 'iing members in close position so that the heads 19 thereof will proJect substantially radially from between the supporting frames 9. By this means, the frames 9 are rotated the pairs of gripping members 19 will engage about the beets so as to lift and elevate the same as in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings.

The forward wall 16 of the receiving hopper 17 is inclined downwardly and rearwardly, and the upper portion 16 thereof, is

slightly arched to conform to the curvature of the annular supporting frames 9. As will be noted more clearly from Figs. 1 and 3 the upper edge of the forward wall of said hopper is spaced a slight distance above the supporting frames 9 so as to be engaged by the heads 19 of the'pulling members 18. As the pullers 18 reach their uppermost position, the heads 19 engage the upper edge of the receiving hopper and simultaneously with this engagement of the heads with the hopper, the shanks 20 of these members pass off ofthe upper end of the cam 12. This results in discharging the beet which was gripped between theheads 19 into the hop per, the pulling members 18 being rocked downwardly and forwardly to substantially the position shownin Fig. 3. As rotation of the annular frames 9 continues, the memhere 18 will be rocked by gravity into such position as to insure proper engagement of. the shanks 20 of these members with the cams 12 during the continued rotation of the annular frames 9. This will be clear from Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The receiving hopper 17 may be suspended from the main frame 1 by means of supporting strips or hangers 22 secured thereto and to the side bars of the main frame or in other suitable manner. The back of this hopper is normally closed by a closed door or closure member 23 of open construction which is carried by a rod 24 secured thereto, at the upper edge of the closure member, and rockably supported in the end walls of the hopper. An arm 25 is secured to this rod and projects upwardly and rearwardly therefrom. The upper end of this arm is connected by a connecting rod 26 to a hand lever 27 which is rockably mounted on the main frame and cooperates with a rack 28 for securing arm 25 in rocked adjustment, the hand lever being provided with the usual spring pressed detent'indicated generally by By-this *means, as the beets are discharged into the receiving hopper they collect therein 011 the closure members 23, earth and foreign material passing through the bars of this closure member. hen a suitable quantity of beets have thus been col lected, the hand lever 27 may be swung forwardly and downwardly so as to rock rod in proper direction for swinging the closure members 23 outwardly and upwardly thus permitting the beets to be discharged from the hopper as indicated in Fig. manner, the beets which have been pulled may be deposited in suitable piles along the row so as to enable them to be readily collected for engagement by a topping machine. \VhileI have shown the machine as a two row puller, it will be readily understood that, if preferred, it may be of the one row type, or for more than two rows, as desired.

The foregoing description-and drawings have reference to what might be considered to be the preferred or approved form of my invention. I desire it to be understood that I may make such changes in the construe tion, combination and arrangement of parts, materials dimensions et cetera, as may prove expedient and fall-within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: I

1. In a beet pulling machine,. a main frame, an axle rotatably mounted therein, ground wheels secured on said axle, a rotatable shaft, supporting frames mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, said frames being disposed in pairs, pulling members carried bythe supporting frames and being arranged in pairs for engaging and lifting beets when the frames are retated, and tripping cams positioned to engage the pulling members when the supporting frames therefor are rotated so as to move the said members into operative position at a predetermined point in their rotary travel, and maintain them in this position during their travel through a predetermined distance, said supporting frames and the tripping cams being adjustable longitudinally of the shaft so as tovary the dis tance apart of said pulling members to'accommodate beets of different sizes. I

2. In a beet pulling machine, a rotatably mounted shaft, a pair of annular supporting frames securedon said shaft-in concentric. relation thereto, pulling members looselymounted on the inner faces of said supportingframe's, said members having outwardly tapering pulling" heads to provide. inwardly converging beet receiving passages, the pulling members being further provided. with angularly disposed shanks, segmental tripping cams positioned closely adjacentthe inner facesjofthe supporting frames 7 and concentric therewith,

In this said cams being secured against rotary movement and adapted to be engaged by the shanks of the pulling members when the supporting frames therefor are rotated so as to move said members into operative position and maintain them in this position while being moved through a predetermined distance, and means for rotating said shaft when the machine is drawn forward over a beet row.

3. In a beet pulling machine, a rotatably mounted shaft, a pair of annular'supporting frames secured on said shaft, a hopper carried adjacent said supporting frames, a segmental tripping cam positioned adjacent the inner faces of the supporting frames, pulling members loosely mounted on the inner faces of said frames, said members. having outwardly extending pulling heads from which extend angularly disposed shanks, whereby said shanks will engage said cams to cause the pulling heads to be held in an operative position, said hopper extendin to a point adjacent one end of said cam, whereby said head will strike said hopper as said shanks disengage said cam,

thus causing beets carried by said heads to be thrown into the hopper while the heads and shanks at that time will be swung to inoperative position.

4. In a beet pulling machine, a rotatably mounted shaft, a pair of annular supporting frames secured on said shaft, a hopper car ried adjacent said frames, pulling members loosely mounted on said frames and having heads provided with angularly disposed shanks, means for engaging said shanks to hold the heads in operative positions for an interval as said frames rotate, said hopper being adjacent said means, whereby as the pulling members disengage said means they will be engaged by said hopper to cause the beets carried by said pulling members to be thrown into the hopper as the pulling members are swung to an inoperative position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES ARTHUR GAYWOOD.

lVitnesses EDWIN C. PAYNE,

RANDALL C. GRoNIN. 

